For the first time since New Bern Bears joined the Mideastern Conference, the Bears didn’t win the dual team wrestling championships.

Laney won all five matches, and beat New Bern head-to-head, to end the Bears run of three-straight conference dual team titles.

“It means a ton to the program,” Laney coach Jon Mauney said. “As far as I know, we haven’t done this in about four years. We are getting that opportunity to do it, and we wanted to win it in the present conference before the conference is disseminated.

“Laney is a tough team,” New Bern coach Bo Lansche said. “We knew they were going to be tough coming in.

“I told the guys all year that we can’t allow ourselves to get pinned and win big matches. We were within two or three points, then we gave up two more pins.”

New Bern had wins over New Hanover (72-6), Hoggard (55-18), Ashley (69-12) and J.H. Rose (54-14).

Eric Milks (145), DeAndre Jones (182) and Jon Sherman (132) won all five of their matches.

Freshman Dalton Hill gave Laney’s two-time state qualifier Marcel Burns a fight before losing the match 6-5 at 170 pounds.

“We looked great in all of the other matches,” Lansche said. “Dalton Hill, who is a freshman, was wrestling up a weight class, and he wrestled a two-time state qualifier from Laney. He looked really good.

“Eric Milks really stood out today. He wrestled a state qualifier from Laney.”